Merathi are a minuscule genetically altered Human Derivative which hail from a world with about double the typical gravity of an inhabited world.

Merathi are a diminutive race that look somewhat like a caricature of a human, they have a slightly oversize head compared to their bodies, with large pointed ears and tend to lack much definition in their body shape.

Merathi are diminutive Humanoids with certain slightly exaggerated features. Their heads tend to look a bit on the large side compared to their bodies, and their outer physiology tends to lack muscle definition, as body fat deposits will smooth most of it out. Narrow shoulders taper out to relatively wide hips, and thick thighs taper down to comparatively small feet. Merathi hands resemble those of a normal humanoid child's, but are quite dexterous and exhibit a very firm grip. Merathi tend to have large, relatively round eyes, though the population exhibits similar variations to normal humanoid species. Large, pointed ears sweep outward and backward, and do not exhibit any visible fur or hair covering. Merathi hair is likewise just as varied in color, length, texture, and structure as typical human-derived species. Finally, Merathi exhibit the same range of skin tones and complexions as other humanoids and human-derived species.

Despite their small stature and the typical reproductive survival methods of similarly sized creatures, Merathi reproduction tends to focus on Quality offspring, rather than Quantity. Merathi reproduce sexually, as most typical humanoids do, though Merathi Females tend to only be fertile 2-3 times per year, lasting between two and four weeks per fertile period. After conception, a female will gestate for roughly 8 months, which is rather long time for their size. Merathi women typically only have enlarged mammary glands while lactating, and they return to their normal size within a few weeks of completing the weaning of offspring. Merathi children are born able to crawl in their native gravity, but tend to be capable of walking within a few hours of birth if born in the roughly 1G conditions most humanoids are used to.

Merathi are Omnivores, and require a balanced diet of proteins, fibers, carbohydrates, fats and acids, just like most Human derivatives. Due to the Merathi having an extremely active metabolism, they tend to require at least the same amount of daily calories as a typically sized human, often more if they are especially active. If fed the amount of food most humans would expect a creature of they size to eat, a Merathi would likely starve.

The Merathi home planet, Meras, has the typical biodiversity, climate and geological diversity that one finds on Yamatai (Planet)-like worlds. It just happens to have twice the gravity. As such, Merathi are highly adaptable and can survive in nearly any environment, with the exception of some specific environments that non human-derived humanoids can be found in. Merathi are more resistant to radiation than a base human, but are still affected by it, especially from prolonged exposure. Merathi can survive brief periods (twenty minutes or less) of exposure to vacuum (with breathing device assistance) but will need medical assistance afterward.

Merathi tend to live around 200 Years without medical assistance, though this can vary depending on conditions. Merathi lifespans can be elongated indefinitely with augmentative medical procedures. Merathi tend to be considered children until they reach around 35 years old, and don't tend to age much after that until they hit around 100 years old. At 100, they are considered middle aged, and begin to slowly age, though they remain physically quite fit until they are around 175-200 years. At that point, Older Merathi will typically slow down quite a lot, and can deteriorate relatively quickly unless they keep on top of their health or have extensive elective medical treatment to extend their lifespans.

The oldest lived unaugmented Merathi was recorded at 317 years, while the current oldest Augmented Merathi is 1,225 as of YE 45.

The Typical Merathi has a fairly positive personality, and as a whole they tend to be fun loving, enjoying socialization, and especially love food. Merathi are known to tend toward mischief, and enjoy practical jokes and pranks. Merathi tend to try and find the bright side of a situation if possible, and are often endlessly hopeful. Of course, as with any population of sentient, sapient creatures, actual personalities can vary toward either end of the spectrum, though Merathi overwhelmingly tend toward the positive.

A Lot of Merathi personality has to do with their Telempathy, and while no individual is beholding to the broadcast emotions of those around them, it is a bit harder to avoid or ignore for Merathi than it is for other species that don't share telempathic abilities. The Typical Merathi will avoid lonliness, and prefer to be with others of their own kind if possible, as the feelings of shared emotions tend to be important for their mental health. This is one of the reasons that Merathi tend toward Mischief when isolated from others of their kind; it is often an attempt to fill the quiet emptiness that is left behind when Telempathy is not present.

(Could use some help making this something other than “Humans but tiny”) Merathi culture places a lot of emphasis on food, and community. Merathi arts and entertainment are similar to those found in many other human-derived cultures, with games, movies, plays, and music of myriad types, genres and composition. Merathi often have large festivals which include food, games, and shows, as well as live performances of various types, as their culture is derived from base human culture.

Due to the Merathi language using Telempathy to portray emotions and emphasize thoughts or words, Merathi culture is very community-focused. Sharing of emotions and moods make up a large portion of their arts, especially those such as music and theater. Festivals also are incredibly popular because the tangible shared emotions of those gathered tend to create a collective euphoric high, just as sadder events will tend to create a collective low. Merathi are often seen as a bit hedonistic as they prefer the feelings of community enjoyment, and will typically find a reason to have a party, celebration, or festival, if one does not already exist in their current context.

As Merathi overwhelmingly tend toward the positive, and enjoy shared festivities and experiences, along with the hedonistic tendencies toward happiness, joy, and other positive emotions, Merathi art and culture does tend to lack some of the darker, more introspective qualities that art of other races often develop; it does exist, just the context is less available to Merathi and therefore less universally accepted or appreciated.

Merathi are known to eat almost anything, and probably everything. They tend to be voracious eaters as they have a high metabolism, but do require a balanced diet. A typical Merathi diet is the same as a typical human diet, aside from the fact that they eat roughly twice as much. Food varies from high cuisine to basic rations, and everything in between, though 'comfort food' that has high carbohydrates, high fat content, and lots of flavor tend to be the most universally liked. Merathi enjoy almost any food that is given to them, as long as it is edible and not rotten or spoiled (with the exception of certain foods that are produced by the spoilage of their ingredients). Merathi are typically good cooks, and will often cook large portions for communal meals.

The Merathi speak two languages; Galactic Common, which they call Akkadan, and Meran, which is heavily truncated a derivative of Galactic Common.

• Akkadan: Meaning Academic in Meran, Akkadan is just normal Galactic common. Seen as unnecessarily formal and boring, Akkadan is only used in science, politics, and Academics.
• Meran: The primary language of the Merathi, it was derived from Akkadan as a shorthand language, though it differs in having an additional layer of complexity compared to Akkadan, making it impossible for non-Merathi to speak, as it relies on what's known as 'Telempathy', or the ability to consciously or unconsciously transmit one's thoughts and feelings in an intangible way other than tone or body language. Meran is a heavily truncated version of its parent language, utilizing a lot of slang and abbreviations from Akkadan as well as colloquial words which are indigenously derived and share no relation to Akkadan. Along with the typical additions of word choice, tone, and body language, Telempathy is another layer of subtext that gives additional emphasis or meaning to the communication of Merathi. Merathi Telempathy can be received by other telepathic species, such as Nekovalkyrja, although they will only receive it as either white noise, static, or buzzing.

Typical Merathi technology is much like themselves; Miniature. They specialize in Miniaturization technology out of necessity, as they need smaller items to fit their smaller statures, however, it needs to pack the same capabilities as an equivalent item created for a 'normal' sized humanoid species. Merathi technology, in general, meets the standards of most technology found in the Kikyo Sector and tends to be compatible with only minor modifications. As such, Merathi can learn how to use standard technology from the Kikyo sector with little difficulty, although analog peripherals tend to be awkward and clunky to them unless replaced with something sized for their smaller statures.

Kai created this article on 2023/01/20 11:00.

🚧 This article is a work-in-progress. Is it not currently approved.